Originally aired April 21, 2004
Written by Drew Z Greenberg
Directed by James Marshall
A strange gas gives Chloe the ability to make anyone tell the truth against their will. Lionel takes advantage of the situation and tells her to go to the Kents and make them tell her the truth about Clark.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Ambiguous Situation: Just how much of Chloe's new jerkass behavior in the episode is because of her exposure to the gas? She acts much more callous than usual, and Clark tells her that she wasn't herself. But Chloe for her part seems to find this dubious, and no one in the know about the gas ever describes it as anything more than a lethally toxic Truth Serum.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Pete to Chloe, under the influence of the truth serum.
- Arc Words: The word "truth" figures prominently in the episode.
- Armored Closet Gay: A football jock named Doug, under Chloe's influence, reveals he's attracted to another player.Chloe: Doug, if you could take anyone to prom, who would you take?Doug: That would be Fitz.Chloe: Thomas Fitzpatrick, the quarterback? Wow. I didn't expect that one.
- Blackmail: Chloe uses her power on Lionel, forcing him to admit that he arranged for his parents to be murdered so he could collect their insurance money and start LuthorCorp, and records his confession on her cell phone so she can try to blackmail him into giving her father his job back. Lionel, however, doesn't fall for it; in fact, he later has the recording deleted from Chloe's phone.
- Brutal Honesty: The truth gas causes anyone Chloe questions (except Clark, that is) to speak the total, unfiltered truth, even when it's the worst thing they could do.
- Car Fu: In the final act, William rams his car into Chloe's own car in an attempt to run her off a bridge and into the river.
- Create Your Own Villain: Well, Chloe exposing the truth about Mrs. Taylor caused the woman's son, William, to try to run her off a bridge.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: William, who warns Chloe to leave him and his mother alone and tries to murder her after her story gets his mother imprisoned for what she's done in the past.
- Fanservice: In the final act, Clark rips open Chloe's blouse so he can inject the antidote to the truth gas into her system; we thus get a nice view of her cleavage in a pink bra.
- Find the Cure!: This becomes Clark's goal when it becomes clear that the truth gas will kill Chloe.
- Foreshadowing:Chloe: [to Clark] Maybe there is some reporter genes under those baby blues after all.
- Going for the Big Scoop: Chloe uses her Truth Serum power to dig up all kinds of dirt on people, not caring about the consequences, like a fellow classmate, the son of a teacher she exposed as a fugitive, going berserk and trying to kill her. It's discussed briefly in the final act.Clark: You weren't yourself.Chloe: I really wish I could believe that, but there have been so many times my curiosity has gotten the best of me. Maybe this is just who I am.Clark: No, you're going after the truth. Nothing wrong with that.Chloe: Unless it hurts the people you care the most about. I'm just afraid that, one day, I'm gonna push too hard and I'm not going to get the chance to say "I'm sorry."Clark: Today's not that day.
- Hated by All: Chloe's new ability, on top of her willingness to go public with people's secrets, soon makes her enough of a pariah that no one even wants to be in the same room as her. Lana even admits no one likes her anymore.Chloe:: [after pretty much everyone leaves the Talon] Was it just me, or did I completely clear out the lunch crowd?
Lana: No, it was you. Ever since you turned the Torch into your own gossip column, no one can stand being around you.
Chloe: At least you're still talking to me, right?
Lana: For now. - Jerkass Has a Point: Chloe might feel hurt when Lana, under the influence of the truth gas, tells her that she doesn't trust Chloe. However, the blonde's abuse of her new power shows that she really can't be trusted when she will willingly ruin other people's lives for the truth.
- Kick the Dog: Under the truth gas' influences, Lionel reveals that he blacklisted Chloe's father after Lex fired him, making it difficult for him to get a new job.Chloe: What did you do, blacklist him?Lionel: You're damn right I blacklisted him. He'll be lucky to find a job as a dishwasher. [gasps] Well, I warned you there'd be repercussions if you defied me. I'm a man of my word.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Chloe uses her new power to dig up peoples embarrassing and in some cases harmful secrets and publishes them in the school paper with total disregard to their feeling or consequences they would face. She ends up becoming a pariah hated by virtually everyone.
- Mundanger: William Taylor, the son of Mrs. Taylor who tries to kill Chloe for exposing his mother as a fugitive on the run from the authorities.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Chloe thinks this after being cured of her truth serum.
- "Shut Up" Kiss: In order to keep himself from spilling Clark's secret, Pete kisses Chloe instead and confesses to her that he's been in love with her since day one.
- Skewed Priorities: When Clark phones Chloe after she checks herself out of the hospital early, he tells her she's dying because of the truth serum and that he has the cure for her. Chloe just rebuffs him, accuses him of keeping her from doing what she knows best and calls him out on his keeping secrets from her.
- Sympathetic Murderer: William who tries to murder Chloe after his mother is thrown into jail for her past crimes.William: I told you, you should have just leave us alone! My mother didn't deserve to go to jail!
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Chloe, after gaining her Truth Serum power.
- Truth Serum: Chloe is exposed to a gas that gives her this ability.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: The reason that Lex gives for why he doesn't just walk away from his father after Chloe questions him.Chloe: Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Why can't you just walk away from your father?Lex: Because he won't give me the only thing I've ever wanted from him.Chloe: And that would be?Lex: [Beat] I want him to love me.
- In the final act, Lex acknowledges that he's never going to get Lionel's love or approval.Lionel: Now, I'm losing my patience, Lex. You are constantly defensive with me. Now, tell me, damnit, what is it you want from me?Lex: [Beat] It doesn't really matter, Dad. I'm never gonna get it. [walks out Lionel's office]
- In the final act, Lex acknowledges that he's never going to get Lionel's love or approval.
- Western Terrorists: Mrs. Taylor was a member of a terrorist group responsible for a bombing in the 1970s.
- Written-In Absence: John Schneider doesn't appear in this episode, but Jonathan is stated to be in Metropolis for medical tests.
